Dubai ‘kissing couple’ lose appeal

A British couple accused of kissing in public in Dubai have lost their appeal against conviction.

Ayman Najafi, 24, and Charlotte Adams, 25, were sentenced to a month in prison with subsequent deportation and fined for drinking alcohol, the BBC reported today.

The two Brits were arrested in November 2009, after an Emirati woman claimed that her child had seen them kissing in a restaurant in the Jumeirah Beach Residence neighborhood in Dubai. Earlier this year it emerged that the pair had appealed against a one-month prison sentence for indecency. The charge was “committing a sexual act (by) kissing on the lips and touching,” lawyer Khalaf al-Hosani told AFP.

“There was no lip kissing. It was just a normal greeting that is not considered offensive,” al-Hosani told Reuters earlier this year.

…Dubai’s Kissing BRITS couple, Dubai’s F**ing BRITS couple, Dubai’s Drunk BRITS…ASK yourself why BRITS? Is there any problem with BRITS? We have more than 165 nationalities living peacefully in Dubai! But BRITS are looking at themselves as over the law! BEHAVE BRITS..BEHAVE!

Andrew on April 5, 2010 9:12 am

Err, there’s over 100,000 British nationals in this country, possibly closer to 150,000. They almost certainly out-number all combined Western expats, so statistically it’s going to happen.

The number itself is also a symptom of the fact that these days a lot of companies to will hire people from the UK that 10 years ago wouldn’t have … this of course is a symptom of Dubai’s rapid expansion, etc. etc.

In summation; hush up and behave yourself. That kind of foul language and puerile behaviour makes you no better.

OFiroz on April 5, 2010 9:57 am

I don’t think a mere kissing on the lips or cheeks would make the UAE law upside down. I myself have seen many westerners and even Indians kissing in the public places such as Restaurants and shopping malls, as long as it is not offensive lip locking, I guess the community and law in UAE is largely tolerable.
When I was in Canada my friends happened to see the greetings of Arab men, it was offensive and vulgar for them there but they didn’t complain to the cops or gone to the court!

zouzou on April 5, 2010 10:30 am

Mushark is right. why is it always the Brits that get themselves in troubles?

Basel A-Shaban on April 5, 2010 10:58 am

Was it worth it kissing and being drunk in public? Do Brits think just because they are Brits they are allowed to get away with violating Dubai laws? Should the courts have two sets of laws one for Brits (West European) and the other for the rest of xpats in Dubai? It is very simple, if you do the crime, you do the time regardless of who you are.

Miss Anne Thropic on April 5, 2010 2:05 pm

Basel, they were fined for consuming alcohol, not public drunkenness. Regardless of whether it was one glass of wine or 10 bottles, it is still technically an offence. Despite alcohol being sold at almost every hotel bar and restaurant in the land…

Unless any of us were actually at Bob’s Diner at 2am on the night in question, we don’t actually know what went on. Indeed, the testimony of the Emirati woman and/or her children (who should have been in bed at 2am) is so unclear that it should have been thrown out of court or not taken seriously in the first place.

Does anyone even know if the woman and her kids were summoned to court to give evidence? Or does that not matter here?

I completely understand the rationale of needing to abide by a country’s laws and respect local cultural sensitivities but in the case of Dubai there is so much contradiction and hypocracy that it is difficult to know what is legal and what is not. The result of this absolute lack of clarity and the inconsistent way in which the law is applied is that innocent people, such as this couple, unwittingly fall victim to the caprice and pettiness of one individual. I love the UAE but it is becoming increasingly difficult to convince friends internationally that this is a fair and open country. Particularly with the current state of affairs – is this the PR that the country really needs?

Sazz on April 5, 2010 3:44 pm

Arrested on the word of a 2 year old. Allowed no translator in court. I will never go to Saudi now, and I Speak some Arabic and don’t even drink alcohol. Respect cultural differences and don’t bully tourists. There is no evidence that they were drunk either.

Wow, Sazz. Really informed comment there. The kissing case had nothing to do with Saudi – it was the UAE… I think the two Brits situation may have been JUST A LITTLE BIT WORSE if it had happened in Saudi…

Andrew on April 5, 2010 4:11 pm

UAE dear, not Saudi. I find it absolutely hilarious they were fined for consuming alcohol after they were drinking in a licensed restaurant. It’s legal for their businesses to take your money, but illegal for you or consume to use what you’ve bought.

I don’t have a problem with the concept of obeying the law, but; 1) Knowing what the law is, and (2) More importantly, knowing how the law is currently being applied – is downright is impossible.

Sazz on April 5, 2010 4:21 pm

Oops sorry James was just reading the word Saudi when I posted. Must not multitask ! but point stands – won’t go to either country… How can the woman be offended by something she didn’t see? Mad.
Will still continue to learn Arabic tho – think maybe Syria…

rich on April 23, 2010 3:03 pm

What is a child doing at 2 am in the sreets instead of being in bed? Maybe this child learned about kissing by watching late night television shows, as all western movies have some sort of kissing. I think Dubai should ban all movies that have kissing, because you practice what you preach.